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The English pro found himself part of a seven-way tie for first at Walt Disney World’s Palm and Magnolia courses in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. He’s two shots ahead of Simpson, though it’s not exactly a head-to-head battle.
“I’m in a dogfight with everyone else here,” Donald said. “I’ve got to beat everyone – not just Webb.”
Though he’s No.1 in the world ranking, Donald trails Simpson on the PGA Tour’s money chart by $363,029. He must finish first or second to have any chance of leapfrogging into the lead he held before Simpson lost the McGladrey Classic in a playoff last week while Donald was idle.
“There is so much that can happen at a golf tournament, especially in four days,” said Simpson, who carded a 68 while paired with Donald.
“We joked around earlier about it. It’s all good. I think we’re both handling it the right way and trying to go about our business and see how well we can do.”
Gary Woodland, a winner at the Transitions Championship in March, and Arjun Atwal also opened with 66s – as did James Driscoll, Scott Stallings and Nathan Green.
Derek Lamely joined those at 6 under after his afternoon round on the Magnolia course. All the other co-leaders played the Palm layout, which averaged 2.21 shots easier than the Magnolia.
Driscoll sits squarely on the bubble at No. 125, trying to avoid getting bumped to restricted status. That’s the fate for Nos. 126-150 on the money list, good for about 15 starts next year but mostly in lower-tier events.
“It’s not a position that’s fun to be in,” Driscoll said. “Anywhere from (Nos.) 120 to 160, it’s just not where you plan on being at the beginning of the year.”
ELSEWHERE
Yani Tseng began her home event with a 4-under 68 to join Ai Miyazato of Japan with a one shot lead after the first round of the LPGA Taiwan Championship. “I saw so many fans on the first hole and I was nervous,” the 22-year-old Tseng said. “I told myself to relax.” …
England’s Ross McGowan, ranked 543rd in the world, shot a 7-under 64 to take a two-shot lead after one round of the Castello Masters in Catellon, Spain. …
The PGA Tour will launch an 11-event tour in Latin America, hoping to take advantage of golf’s popularity as it returns to the Olympics in 2016 in Brazil. The “PGA Tour Latinoamerica” will visit seven countries and offer top players advancement to the Nationwide Tour. …
Australian player Geoff Ogilvy, a member of the International team that will play the United States next month at Royal Melbourne, criticized Fred Couples for giving Tiger Woods a Presidents Cup captain’s pick a month early.
